NASHVILLE - The Nashville Predators kick off the last preseason tilt on Saturday as they welcome the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes to Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators were on the wrong end of a five-goal comeback as the Hurricanes overcame a 5-1 deficit to win 6-5 on Thursday. NHL rosters must be finalized by Monday, Sept.28 at 4 p.m. CT, making Saturday's preseason finale the last chance for players to make an impression on Nashville's coaching staff and management.
"I think they made it harder in two senses," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said on roster decisions after Thursday's game. "In a sense that there's some guys that really - that are in those positions played real well, and some other guys that maybe didn't play up to my expectations. So those are hard decisions. It's been a really competitive camp, as you guys see. And the short camp, you can't really wait for anybody right now. Some guys have really pushed, some guys haven't and your organization, to have that push from some guys is you're in a good spot."
Nashville's roster now stands at 27 players after sending four players to the AHL on Thursday. The final four cuts will be made over the weekend, but Saturday's game gives Brunette and team president and general manager Chris MacFarland one last look at the players on the bubble.
"Yeah, there's probably a little bit of some guys in there that we've got to take another look at," Brunette said. "Ideally you'd like it all set, and that speaks to everybody in camp that's pushed, or haven't pushed, and we have to make a decision on it. So I think you got a little bit of both in the lineup tomorrow."
The Predators will carry two goaltenders in the regular season, putting Ethan Haider on the outside looking in. The final three spots will likely come down to forwards Tyson Jost , Reid Schaefer , Vitali Pinchuk, and Adam Edstrom , and defensemen Jack Ahcan and Ryan Ufko .
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/predators/onsi as Who Makes the Cut? Predators' Preseason Finale Doubles as Roster Audition .
